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Alzheimer’s Disease is stealing the memories of 5.4 million Americans and without a medical breakthrough that number is expected to grow.
Here are more facts about the disease from the Alzheimer’s Association. Getty Images

Dr. Marwan Sabbagh views brain scans in at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix.
Alzheimer’s disease was the fifth leading cause of Arizona deaths in 2013, making it the seventh highest Alzheimer’s death rate in the country. David Wallace/The Republic

Singer Glen Campbell has shared his Alzheimer's diagnosis very publicly.
By 2050, the number of people age 65 and older with the disease may nearly triple, to a projected 13.8 million. Dan MacMedan/USA Today

Among Americans with Alzheimer's, an estimated 5.2 million people are age 65 and older, and approximately 200,000 are under age 65. Julianne Moore won an Oscar in 2015 for her leading role in "Still Alice" playing a woman with Alzheimer's. Sony Pictures Classics

In 2016, total payments for health care, long-term care and hospice are estimated to be $236 billion for people with Alzheimer's and other dementias, with just under half of the costs borne by Medicare.
Janis Kaump, 97, has Alzheimer's. Her son Randy and daughter-in-law Mary have spent about $100,000 of their own money and $300,000 of Kaump's over the last four years to care for her at home and in facilities. Stan Godlewski, for USA TODAY

David Preston talks to his wife Patti, who has Alzheimer's.
About two-thirds of caregivers are women, and 34 percent are age 65 or older. On average, care contributors lose more than $15,000 in annual income as a result of reducing or quitting work to meet the demands of caregiving. Robert Deutsch, USA TODAY

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Arizona Rep. Heather Carter (center) was joined by (from left) Alzheimer's Association Program and Advocacy Director James Fitzpatrick, Teresa Webb, state Sen. Kate Brophy McGee, and Dr. David Coon at a press conference about awareness of Alzheimer's disease during the holidays.(Photo: Blaine McCormick/The Republic)

The holidays can be an especially challenging time for families impacted by Alzheimer's disease, but advocates and Arizona leaders said there are ways for people to cope.

James Fitzpatrick, a program and advocacy director for the Alzheimer's Association, said the holidays can be a difficult time for patients suffering from Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia, as well as their families.

He advised those impacted to keep building on traditions that include any family member with Alzheimer's and involve them in holiday activities.

"Life does not end when dementia is in place," Fitzpatrick said during a press conference Monday, noting that he lost a grandparent who suffered from dementia.

"Something that we always need to do is to ensure that we are checking in with somebody that has dementia and see what they want to do and what they can do, especially during this holiday season."

One of the biggest tips for caregivers during the holidays is to make sure they are also taking care of themselves, Fitzpatrick said.

"We need to bring awareness to this disease," Fitzpatrick said. "We need to take the stigma out and we need to normalize it. People with Alzheimer's disease and related dementia, they're people. The caregivers that take care of them, they're their family members, they're people. We need to normalize this and continue down the path of just living life."